Monday, July 04, 2016

Suicide Bomber in Saudi city of Jiddah near U.S. Diplomatic Site

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Near a U.S. diplomatic site in Saudi Arabia, a suicide bomber carried out a terrorist attack.  The vest exploded as security guards approached the Muslim terrorist near a hospital.  The guards only sustained minor injuries.

A 2004 al-Qaida-linked militant attack on the U.S. consulate in Jiddah killed five locally hired consular employees and four gunmen. The three-hour battle on the compound came amid a wave of al-Qaida attacks targeting Westerners and Saudi security posts.

More recently, Saudi Arabia has been a target of Islamic State group attacks that have killed dozens of people. The extremist group views the Western-allied Saudi monarchy and government as heretics. Saudi Arabia is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the IS group in Iraq and Syria.

In June, the Interior Ministry reported 26 terror attacks had taken place in the kingdom in the last two years. Local affiliates of the IS group have targeted minority Shiites and security officials.

The attack comes just days before the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in which observant Muslims fast daily from dawn to dusk.

The U.S. Embassy regularly issues advisory messages for U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia. In a message issued Sunday and another one issued after the attack Monday, the embassy urged Americans to "remain aware of their surroundings, and take extra precautions when travelling throughout the country." It also advised citizens to "carefully consider the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia."

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

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